Dutch Deal For Mediaset Italia

COLOGNE, Germany - International television provider Chello Zone has signed a deal with Dutch cable operator Caiway and telecommunications group KPN to air Italian-language channel Mediaset Italia in the Netherlands.

Mediaset Italia targets Italian speakers living abroad and offers a selection of the best of mainstream Italian TV, including programming from national networks Italia 1, Canal 5 and Rete 4. KPN plans to include Mediaset Italia as part of its basic IPTV service, which has some 650,000 subscribers in the Netherlands. Caiway will initially package the new channel for its 27,000 EBT subscribers as part of a bouquet that already includes Chello Zone channels such as the Extreme Sports Channel and the Food Network.

The deal marks the first time Mediaset Italia will be available in the Netherlands and it will be the only Italian-language offering on either the KPN or Caiway networks.